With reference to FIG. 1, a basement or crawl space of a building has an exterior foundation wall (100) for the most part below grade level of the earth. The top of the wall (100) is covered with a sill or sill plate (102) of wood or other plate material. Sometimes the sill plate is omitted. A frame for supporting a floor is constructed, as follows. Framing members of the building known as joist plates or headers (104) are sawn lumber or boards, which are laid edgewise to span along, either the top of the sill plate (102), or the top of the basement wall (100) in the absence of a sill plate (102). Horizontal framing members of the building comprise joists (106) that span from one joist plate (104) to another. The joists (106) can be dimensional lumber, such as, 2×10 wood, or composite wood joists, such as 9.5 inch I-joists, or open web joists, such as, 9.5″ open web joists, or steel I-beams of various depths and flanges, or other materials and similar shapes that function to support the floor (108) and a floor load. Further, the joists (106) and/or the headers (104) can be fabricated from, one or more, elemental metals, alloys, polymer materials, material composites, and laminates, and combinations thereof.
Ends of the joists (106) are nailed or otherwise secured to the headers (104), and the headers (104) are toe nailed or otherwise secured to the sill plate (102) In high wind regions, metal anchor plates, not shown, secure the joists (106) and the headers (104) to the sill plate (102). The joists (106) include an exterior joist (106a) in reference to an endmost joist (106a) that is located at the exterior of the building. An exterior joist (106a) includes, and is not limited to, one that is parallel to the joists (106) of the floor framing. Each floor (108) of a building can be supported on a similar construction of joists (106) and headers (104).
Exterior joists (106a) and exterior joist plates or headers (104) extend along an exterior of the building. Collectively, they are referred to as band joists. The band joists are required to be filled by insulation installed on site. The insulation is installed in a band joist cavity defined with a width between two joists (106) on centers, and further defined with a length between a floor (108) or subfloor supported by the joists (106), and the plate (102) supporting the joists (106). The plate (106) can be supported by a basement wall (100), the thickness of which basement wall (100) defines the depth of the band joist cavity.
The joists (106), for example, are sawn lumber or boards of standard 2× (two-by) thickness. The actual thickness is 1.5 inches. The joists (106) are spaced apart on standard centers, or centerlines, of 12 inches, 16 inches, 19.2 inches or 24 inches. Thus the width of the band joist cavity between joists on 12 inch centers is 10.5 inches wide. The width of the band joist cavity between joists on 16 inch centers is 14.5 inches wide. The width of the band joist cavity between joists on 19.2 inch centers is 17.7 inches wide. The width of the band joist cavity between joists on 24 inch centers is 22.5 inches wide.
The joists (106) are 2×12's, measuring 1.5 inches thick by 11.5 inches wide. Thus, 2×12 joists (106) define band joist cavities 11.5 inches in length. Alternatively, the joists (106) are 2×10's, measuring 1.5 inches thick by 9.5 inches wide. Thus, 2×10 joists (106) define band joist cavities 9.5 inches in length. The joists (106) and the headers (104) are the same board size. Alternatively, the length of a band joist cavity is 13.5 inches defined by the width of 2×14 joists (106). Alternatively, the length of a band joist cavity is 15.5 inches defined by the width of 2×16 joists (106).
Fibrous insulation is available as a commercial product in widths of 11, 15, 15.25, 16, 23, 23.25, 24 or 25 inches, although, 25 inches is not a common insulation width. The insulation is supplied as a continuous roll or as a batt having a length, including 46, 47, 93, 94, 96 or 105 inches. Insulation of 11 inches wide is capable of insulating the band joist cavity of 10.5 inches wide between two joists (106) on 12 inch centers. The insulation of 11 inches wide adapts by compression, i.e., compression to a smaller volume, to fit in the space 10.5 inches wide. However, prior to the invention, the insulation was measured and cut to length at the installation site.
Similarly, insulation of 15, 15.25 or 16 inches wide adapts by compression to fill the band joist cavity of 14.5 inches wide between 2× (two-by) joists (106) on 16 inch centers. However, prior to the invention, the insulation was measured and cut to length at the installation site. Insulation of 23, 23.25, 24 or 25 inches wide adapts by compression to fill the band joist cavity of either 17.7 inches wide or 22.5 inches wide between joists (106) on 19.2 inch centers or 24 inch centers. However, prior to the invention, the insulation was measured and cut to length at the installation site.
Prior to the invention, the batt or continuous roll was measured and cut for each band joist cavity. Usually, an oversize piece was measured and cut. An oversize piece was assured to become compressed in both width and length in the cavity to be retained in place. Further, an oversize piece was cut to avoid having an undersized piece that would be too small, and therefore discarded as scrap. However, if the oversize piece was too generous in size, when the oversize piece could have been smaller, then some amount of insulation was wasted. Further, after cutting and removing too generous an oversize piece from a batt or roll, the remainder of the batt or roll would become too short for further use, and therefore would be discarded as scrap. Thus, there is a need for an invention that reduces the time expended for measuring and cutting insulation into pieces. Further, there is a need for an invention that avoids cutting a piece that is either too small or too generous in size.
Further, scrap is produced when a batt or roll of insulation is split lengthwise so as to have a narrow and long piece to cover an area that is narrow and long. For example, a narrow and long piece of insulation would be needed to cover along the length of a band joist (106a), FIG. 1B, at an exterior of a building. Thus, there is a need for an invention that would reduce scrap and lost time resulting from having to measure and split a batt or roll to have a narrow and long piece at an installation site for insulating along a length of a band joist (106a).